Gathering Of Eagles - Australia

31st August 2013

Rounding out the Watts Bridge fly-in calendar for the year is the traditional "last weekend in August" event. And so it was that on the 31st August the eagles gathered to celebrate the freedom of flight.
In a seeming break with recent tradition, Mother Nature got in on the act by turning on a fantastic flying day - clear blue skies - cool crisp air - and barely a whiff of wind to ruffle the feathers.

There were lots of aircraft comings and goings throughout the day with quite a few aircraft we have not seen before at Watts. The red and orange Sonex was a great first appearance.
Best guess would be that well in excess of 50 aeroplanes were in attendance with many more aviation enthusiasts driving in to have their aviation fix for the day.
As always a big "Thank You" must go out to the countless volunteers (both on and off the field) who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the day the huge success that it was!!

BVSAC Fun Fly Poker Run

AAC-QC Christmas In July 2013

Saturday July 6th. Heaviest fog of the year. Fantastic!! Why??
Why is a fog fantastic? Because fog in the morning almost always clears (sooner or later) to give a great flying day. Just what we needed for the Poker Run.
It was after 9:00am before the first participants got away from Watts, but pilots from other airfields in the district were already in the air, chasing down that illusive winning hand.

First to arrive at Poker Central was Frank Francis from Gatton - Winner for 2010 - and with a Pair of Aces he was setting a cracking pace for the other contestants.
From then on more and more aircraft appeared on the horizon - usually from the direction of Kilcoy, the last airfield to be clear of the blanketing fog.
As always plenty of hospitality was on offer with generous lashings of BBQ treats, tasty soup and endless coffee and cake.

At the end of the day there were in excess of 30 players, making it the most successful poker run in the 10+ years the event has been conducted.
But in the end there can be only one winner.

And the winner of the BVSAC Fun Fly Poker Run 2013 was Martin Hurst from Gatton with a winning hand of a Pair of Aces and a Pair of 3's.
Marty was accompanied on the round by his wife Kerry flying in their Europa.

As the sun set, the Aerobatics Club took over with Christmas In July festivities taking centre stage. Drinks and nibbles gave way to a generous three course traditional Christmas Dinner.
What a great way to end a great day!!

Not 1 but 2 New Air Chalets Under Construction

July 2013 sees the the construction of not 1 but 2 new Air Chalets in Precinct 6. Doug and Lorraine Stott were the first to get underway, closely followed by aerobatic club member Mark Foy.
Every new building represents a considerable investment in the airfield and reinforces Watts Bridge as the premier location for all forms of sport aviation in S.E. Queensland.

Watts Bridge Website

10th Anniversary Overhaul

Hard to believe, but the Watts Bridge Website has been online for 10 years in July.
What started as a relatively modest site has grown and grown over the years.
I got to thinking what a good opportunity to give the website a major face lift.
So here it is - hope you like the results.